Nova Scotia Creative Industries Fund
Compared with the 242 other application forms we have read
- Scored mainly on market demand and growth. 19 lead with that.
- Has a stated policy on using AI to write your application. Only 21 say anything about it.
- Publishes the score sheet reviewers actually use. Only 30 do.
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Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
Up to $30,000 (50% of eligible costs) for Nova Scotia creative businesses and non-profits to build export capacity. Supports fashion/design, screen, music, performing arts, fine craft, visual arts, and publishing sectors with marketing, export development, and international market access.
Eligibility Requirements
- Nova Scotia-based creative business or non-profit
- Operating in fashion/design, screen, music, performing arts, fine craft, visual arts, or publishing
- Project must focus on export capacity building
- Must provide 50% matching funds
- Businesses and non-profits working on digital gaming and animation are not eligible
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- Up to $30,000 (50% of eligible costs)
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Provincial
- Co-Funding
- Up to 50% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- Rolling intake April 1 to December 1, 2026, first come, first served. The fund may close before December 1 if all funds are allocated.
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Moderate — standard application process
Moderate competition — prepare a strong application
Easy — minimal documentation
How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipApplications that demonstrate concrete international market opportunities (confirmed trade show participation, international buyer interest, or distribution agreements) are far stronger than general 'we want to export' pitches.
Success Profile
Evaluation Criteria
How Nova Scotia Creative Industries Fund judges your application
What the reviewer scores, what gets applications rejected, and what to write.
Distilled from 6+ source documents on novascotia.ca, condensed into one brief. Sources as of 2026-09-11.
6 of the sources
- Creative Industries Fund
- Creative Industries Fund: creative businesses
- Creative Industries Fund: non-profits and service organizations
- Application - Creative Businesses, Creative Industries Fund
- Application - Industry Support, Non-Profit and Service Organizations
- Application - Export Non-Profit and Service Organizations
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What Nova Scotia Creative Industries Fund favours
Boost sales of Nova Scotia cultural products outside the province◦
“The programs' main goal is to boost sales and grow the presence of Nova Scotia's cultural products outside the province.”
The form
Before you apply
- 1Talk to the Program Officer before applyingshort answerno limit
Funding category
- 2[Non-profits] Choose one funding category: Industry Support or Exportselectionno limit
Section 1 Applicant Information
- 3[Creative businesses] Section 1 Applicant Information: business and contactsshort answerno limit
- 4[Non-profits] Section 1 Applicant Information: organization and contactsshort answerno limit
- 5Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (EDIA): communities servedcheckboxesno limit
- 6EDIA: programs or outreach for underserved communities (optional)written answerno limit
Optional: (if none of the above) If serving one or more of the following underrepresented and/or underserved communities is not your primary mandate or focus, but you do offer some programs, services, or outreach initiatives specifically targeted toward any of these groups, briefly describe those programs, services, or initiatives:
Section 2 Application Information
- 7Section 2 Application Information: proposal informationshort answerno limit
- 8Primary discipline of the proposalselectionno limit
- 9[Creative businesses] Project type(s)checkboxesno limit
- 10[Non-profits, Industry Support] Industry Support activityselectionno limit
- 11[Non-profits, Export] Export activityselectionno limit
- 12[Creative businesses] Brief description of your businesswritten answer · 40 words
Provide a brief description of your business. (Maximum 40 words)*
- 13[Non-profits] Brief description of your organizationwritten answer · 40 words
- 14Activity and export market(s)written answer · 40 words
Written responses 1-6
- 15[Creative businesses] 1. Project Rationale (Business Case)written answerno limit
- 16[Non-profits, Industry Support] 1. Business Casewritten answerno limit
- 17[Non-profits, Export] 1. Business Casewritten answerno limit
- 18[Creative businesses] 2. Timelinewritten answerno limit
- 19[Non-profits, Industry Support] 2. Timelinewritten answerno limit
- 20[Non-profits, Export] 2. Timelinewritten answerno limit
- 21[Creative businesses and Non-profit Export] 3. How does your project support the programs' export objectives?written answerno limit
- 22[Non-profits, Industry Support] 3. How does your project support the programs' sector support objectives?written answerno limit
- 23[Creative businesses] 4. What outcomes do you expect to achieve?written answerno limit
- 24[Non-profits, Industry Support] 4. What outcomes do you expect to achieve?written answerno limit
- 25[Non-profits, Export] 4. What outcomes do you expect to achieve?written answerno limit
- 26[Creative businesses] 5. List at least three measurable goalslistno limit
- 27[Non-profits, Industry Support] 5. List at least three measurable goalslistno limit
- 28[Non-profits, Export] 5. List at least three measurable goalslistno limit
- 296. Financial Capacitywritten answerno limit
Budget and attachments
- 30Budget (template or own spreadsheet)spreadsheetno limit
- 31Supplementary Materialslistno limit
- 32[Music touring] Additional eligibility and attachmentslistno limit
- 33[Screen travel] Additional eligibility and attachmentslistno limit
Consent and declaration
- 34Final reporting acknowledgmentcheckboxno limit
- 35Section 3 Consentcheckboxesno limit
- 36Declaration Statement and electronic signaturecheckboxno limit
After you win
- 37[Post-award] Creative Industries Fund Final Reportwritten answerno limit
bar = length the funder allows, from its stated limits
Judged against
Nova Scotia Creative Industries Fund publishes its score sheet. in Premium
- 1
Can this team deliver the project as planned?
Show them Give dated milestones, name the consultants and collaborators with their quotes, and show past out-of-province work that proves you can deliver.◦
In the funder’s words · 2
- Business Case (30pts) 30
- The proposal reflects the capacity of project team to fulfill the project as proposed
- 2
Does the project advance the export objectives?
What to show, and the funder’s 2 criteria behind it in Premium
- 3
What will actually change because of this?
What to show, and the funder’s 2 criteria behind it in Premium
- 4
Can you fund the rest of the project?
What to show, and the funder’s 3 criteria behind it in Premium
9 questions the reviewer answers about you, in Premium.
Where applicants fail
“If your application is missing required components, applications will be assessed purely based on the application materials submitted and scored accordingly.”
“We cannot accept applications, or portions of applications, in formats, such as Google Docs, Numbers, WeTransfer, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.”
Premium · the rest of this brief
See all 18 rules that can reject you and every criterion you are judged on. Then we draft your application for you.
13 more rules that can reject you · 7 more criteria · 33 more prompts
Do you pass?
Each one can rule you out. Tick the ones you meet.
Your business
NS-registered business or sole proprietor with GST/HST
A Nova Scotia-based and in good standing* with the Provincial Registrar of Joint Stock Companies, federally registered under the Corporations Act, or a sole proprietorship with a GST/HST number.
Not Digital Gaming and Animation
A business working on Digital Gaming and Animation (these sectors receive support through InvestNS.)
Not a non-profit or service organization
Non-profits and service organizations
The project
Discipline: Performing Arts
Performing Arts
No costs before April 1, 2026
Any activity or costs that takes place before April 1 2026, or before the application submission, is not eligible.
AI use “Organizations may choose to use generative AI tools to help draft their applications. If doing so, these tools should be used for support rather than as a replacement for one's own work.”
Documents to attach
Ticks are kept on this device.
The money
Creative business awardUp to 50%, max $30,000
Up to 50% of eligible project costs, to an overall maximum of $30,000.
Industry Support award50% to 100%, max $30,000
Industry Support: Generally, from 50% up to 100% of eligible project costs (max. $30,000).
Music tour cap$20,000 per tour
Funding is capped at $20,000 per tour.
Music yearly cap$30,000 per year per applicant
Music touring investment is generally limited to a maximum of $30,000 per year per applicant.
Screen travel cap$5,000 per request
Individual producers/production companies are generally restricted to a maximum of $5,000 per request.
Your shareUp to 50% of eligible costs
The CIF can contribute up to 50% of the eligible costs of a project - this is not the same as 50% of the total project budget.
StackingReduced when other funders cover the expense
If another source is paying part of an eligible expense, the program's contribution can only be applied to the remaining, uncovered portion and may result in a contribution of less than 50%.
Costs before approvalCosts before April 1 2026 are ineligible
Any activity or costs that takes place before April 1 2026, or before the application submission, is not eligible.
What it pays for · 5
- Marketing strategy development with a qualified agency or consultant, for both online and traditional campaigns
- Event registration and/or booth fees
- Accommodations: Actual costs, to a maximum eligible of $300/night per room
- Meals Allowance (per diem): $100/day per person.
- Administrative costs, to a maximum of 10% of the total project costs
What it does not pay for · 4
- Travel costs that occur within Nova Scotia (including in-province travel to/from airport, train or bus station, and parking fees)
- Production costs and content creation costs not related to marketing campaigns
- Capital purchases (like buildings and software)
- GST, HST, PST and QST
From application to money
- Talk to the Program OfficerTalk to Program Officer before applying
- Apply by emailDecember 1, 2026Apply by December 1, 2026
- Decision in 12 weeksup to 12 weeksDecision within 12 weeks
- Sign terms and conditionsSign terms and conditions
- Funds within 8 weeksup to 8 weeksFunds within 8 weeks of signing
- Report in 60 daysReport outcomes against measurable goals
In the funder’s words · 6
- Talk to the Program Officer
- All applicants are encouraged to speak with the Program Officer prior to application submission to determine their eligibility.
- Apply by email
- Apply between April 1 and December 1, 2026. Applications are assessed in the order they are received.
- Decision in 12 weeks
- It can take up to 12 weeks for your funding application to be assessed and reviewed for approval.
- Sign terms and conditions
- Applicants who are approved for funding receive a letter outlining the terms and conditions of funding.
- Funds within 8 weeks
- It may take up to 8 weeks to receive the funds once an application is successful and the Terms and Conditions document is signed.
- Report in 60 days
- Report the outcomes of the project against the measurable goals stated in your application, with a projected-versus-actual budget.
Quoted lines are word for word from the source documents; lines marked ◦ are our reading of them.
Everything you need to win Nova Scotia Creative Industries Fund
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 12-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- Your Application Game Plan — the print-ready PDF the preview below describes
- 9-step application timeline with prep hours per step
- Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners
- 3-program stacking strategy to combine with compatible funding
- Success profile + evaluation criteria — exactly what reviewers score on
Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
Application Steps
Required Documents 12
Eligible Expenses 12
Ineligible Expenses 17
Intake Periods
Deadline Notes
Ineligible Organizations
Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
Compatible Programs
Clawback Risk
Low RiskHow Nova Scotia Creative Industries Fund Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
| Program | Amount | Difficulty | Payment | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nova Scotia Creative Industries Fund | Up to $30,000 | Easy | Advance Payment | Rolling intake April 1... |
| CanExport SMEs | Up to $50,000 | Moderate | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Between intakes — the... |
| Canada Council for the Arts Grants | Varies | Moderate | Milestone-Based | Multiple annual cycles.... |
| Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit | 25% of eligible BC | Moderate | Tax Credit Offset | Ongoing |
| Creative Industries Funding | Varies | Moderate | Reimbursement | Ongoing (multiple... |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about Nova Scotia Creative Industries Fund